httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rswm-gVZNwU
Photo The lead singer of the popular Christian rock band Everyday Sunday, Trey Pearson, came out as gay on Tuesday in an open letter to his fans, ending a yearslong personal struggle between faith and sexuality and joining a flock of Christian musicians who have come out as gay or lesbian in recent years.
Mr. Pearson, 35, has enjoyed a successful career in Christian rock with Everyday Sunday, whose 2009 album “Best Night of Our Lives” reached No. 15 on Billboard’s Christian albums chart and No. 187 on the Billboard 200.
In the end, he said, it was his growth as a Christian that helped propel his coming out.
Mr. Pearson’s journey echoes the stories of other popular Christian musicians who have come out, including Vicky Beeching and Ray Boltz.
Eliel Cruz, the executive director of Faith in America, a religious organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, said that each time a Christian musician came out, fans struggled to reconcile their spiritual enjoyment of the music with conservative teachings on homosexuality.
“Will fans recognize that perhaps L.G.B.T. Christians can bring spiritual gifts to the church, as Pearson has from the closet for all these years?” he said.
Mr. Pearson said the response to his announcement had been positive so far, including from fans and other Christian artists, including the bands Switchfoot and Jars of Clay.
It is yet to be seen whether he will face the same blowback as other gay Christian artists.
The support he has gotten from fans and other artists made him hopeful that the subculture of Christian rock was changing, he said.